Galaxy Brain
Technology
About
The internet has warped public life: Politicians behave like influencers, the economy resembles a casino, and people can no longer agree upon a consensus reality. New conspiracy theories, memes, and main characters seem to pop up every day. A constant war is on for your attention, and it’s easy to feel lost. Each week, Galaxy Brain and its host Charlie Warzel invite you into conversations to make sense of the online fire hose. Is AI destroying our ability to think? Do your grandparents have a screen-time problem? Galaxy Brain looks beyond the algorithm and anchors you to the real—howev...
Episodes
- Flipping Off Phones
Charlie Warzel and Kaitlyn Tiffany discuss the smartphone backlash and Tiffany's experience swapping her iPhone for a flip phone for a month. They also examine legal cases against tech companies and the current state of scientific research…
- Did a Human Write This?
Charlie Warzel interviews Max Spero, co-founder of Pangram, about AI-detection tools. They explore how these tools work, their effectiveness in distinguishing human from AI-generated content, and the broader cultural concerns surrounding a…
- How Short-Form Clips Took Over the Internet
In the latest Galaxy Brain episode, Charlie Warzel and Ed Elson explore the 'clip economy,' where short video clips from longer content have become the primary form of online media. They discuss how this trend, exemplified by figures like…
- Breaking Free From Alex Jones
Josh Owens discusses his four years working for Alex Jones' Infowars, detailing the inner workings of the conspiracy machine, the impact of manipulative management, and his journey out of that environment. The episode covers radicalization…
- Your Favorite Influencer Might Be AI
New York Times reporter Tiffany Hsu joins Charlie Warzel to discuss the rise of AI influencers, synthetic avatars used to promote brands and supplements. They explore how this synthetic content leads to
- Is AI Going to Turn Us All Into Middle Managers?
This episode of Galaxy Brain features Charlie Warzel, Johnathan, and Melissa Nightingale discussing how AI tools are being integrated into the workforce, their impact on management, and the potential for work to remain a key area of social…
- What Is Twitter’s Legacy, 20 Years Later?
Charlie Warzel and Jason Goldman discuss Twitter's legacy, tracing its evolution from a simple tool to a major cultural and political platform. They examine how its features reshaped media and politics, enabled harassment and misinformatio…
- How AI Is Reshaping the Battlefield
Charlie Warzel and Will Knight discuss the use of AI in warfare, covering autonomous weapons, Project Maven, and the increasing entanglement of the Pentagon and Silicon Valley.
- Why Is It So Hard to Make a Good Weather App?
This episode of "Galaxy Brain" discusses the challenges of accurate weather app forecasting, despite advancements in technology and data. It features physicist Adam Grossman, co-creator of Dark Sky, who explains the complex process of weat…
- Did Netflix Ruin Movies?
Galaxy Brain discusses Netflix's cultural impact and its transformation of the film industry, covering topics like binge culture, data-driven decisions, and its relationship with theaters.
- What Do the People Building AI Believe?
Charlie Warzel speaks with writer Jasmine Sun about the culture of the AI boom in Silicon Valley. They discuss the "doomer" and accelerationist factions, the industry's rightward drift, and the current capabilities and limitations of AI mo…
- The AI-Panic Cycle—And What’s Actually Different Now
Charlie Warzel and Anil Dash explore the current AI-panic cycle, differentiating it from typical hype cycles due to recent advances in AI-agent coding tools. They discuss how hype and venture capital influence the AI conversation and exami…
- King Gizzard, Spotify, and the Future of Music
Host Charlie Warzel and Stu Mackenzie of King Gizzard & the Lizard Wizard discuss how streaming economics, algorithmic discovery, and generative AI are reshaping music distribution and creation. They examine artists battling algorithms, th…
- The Manosphere Breaks Containment
This episode examines the rise of nihilistic Zoomer influencers, using livestreamer Clavicular as an example of figures moving from the fringes to dominate mainstream feeds.
- How to Be a Citizen in the Information War (And Stay Sane)
Charlie Warzel and Amanda Litman explore how to be a citizen in the information war, discussing the impact of real-time violence documentation, misinformation, and algorithmic feeds. They also cover how online engagement can be paired with…
- ICE Is Turning Real Conflict Into Viral Content
Host Charlie Warzel and reporter Ryan Broderick explore the feedback loop between online content and real-world events, citing ICE activity and viral videos. They discuss how internet fragmentation influences political violence and public…
- The Internet Was Built to Objectify Women
This episode of Galaxy Brain features Charlie Warzel and Sophie Gilbert discussing the crisis of AI-generated sexual abuse and the misogyny fueling it, exemplified by Elon Musk's Grok chatbot. They examine how new technologies perpetuate o…
- Grok’s "Digital Undressing" Crisis and a Manifesto to Build a Better Internet
This episode of Galaxy Brain covers the crisis of Grok AI generating nonconsensual sexualized images on X and introduces the "Resonant Computing Manifesto," a framework for building technology that enhances human experience rather than exp…
- The New Mainstream Media
In this episode, Charlie Warzel shares 5 predictions for 2026. He and David Frum discuss the challenges of podcasting, the allure of extreme content, and the role of conspiracy theories as an alternate media, emphasizing the fight for trut…
- Are Your Parents Addicted to Their Screens?
In Galaxy Brain, Charlie Warzel examines technology's impact on older adults, discussing a potential 'phone-based retirement' characterized by isolation and algorithmic feeds. Ipsit Vahia notes that screen use varies in its effects and str…
- Bonus Episode: Reacting to the Epstein Files’ Release
Galaxy Brain discusses the recent release of the Epstein files, with Charlie Warzel, Adrienne LaFrance, and Isaac Stanley-Becker sharing their findings and analyzing the political fallout and lessons learned from the documents.
- Prediction Markets and the ‘Suckerifcation’ Crisis With Max Read
In this episode of Galaxy Brain, Charlie Warzel and Max Read examine prediction markets, where users wager on future events. They discuss the industry's rapid growth, its intersection with gambling and finance, and the concept of a 'sucker…
- How YouTube Ate Podcasts and TV, With Rachel Martin, Ashley Carman, and Derek Thompson
This episode of Galaxy Brain, hosted by Charlie Warzel, examines how YouTube has influenced podcasts and television. Guests Rachel Martin, Ashley Carman, and Derek Thompson discuss the shift towards video, its impact on intimacy and trust,…
- When Chatbots Break Our Minds, With Kashmir Hill
Charlie Warzel and New York Times reporter Kashmir Hill discuss the psychological effects of AI chatbots, including cases of, or resembling, AI-induced psychosis. They explore the design of these systems, safety concerns, and the implicati…
- America’s Slide Toward Simulated Democracy With Eliot Higgins
Eliot Higgins joins Charlie Warzel on 'Galaxy Brain' to discuss the slide from healthy debate to 'disordered discourse,' arguing that democracies falter when truth verification, deliberation, and accountability decline. They explore algori…
- Are Sports the Most Valuable Commodity in the World? With Pablo Torre
Charlie Warzel talks with Pablo Torre about sports as a commodity, the impact of sports betting on society, and the potential risks to the legitimacy of sports leagues.
- The Internet Is a Misery Machine With Hank Green
In the first episode of Galaxy Brain, Charlie Warzel and Hank Green discuss the internet's evolution into a 'misery machine.' They reflect on its past, analyze what went wrong, and consider whether the internet might improve in the future.
- Introducing: Galaxy Brain with Charlie Warzel
The podcast 'Galaxy Brain' with host Charlie Warzel explores the internet's impact on public life, politics, and consensus reality. It features conversations aimed at making sense of information overload, questioning AI's influence on thou…